Exclusive Interview: Aly Michalka on Hellcats

Hellcats premiered to over three million viewers last week, a solid figure for a pilot episode of The CW.

No one is happier about that than Aly Michalka, as the actress spoke to TV Fanatic about her main role as Marti and what we can expect on season one...

Did you watch any cheerleading competitions or talk to any cheerleaders to prepare for your Hellcats role?I talked to a lot of the girls on our squad from the pilot, and obviously the girls we have as regular cheerleaders on our show to kind of get the right information and the knowledge that I needed just to feel comfortable as my character. A lot of the stuff I watched was online. A lot of cheerleading competitions, I watched a lot of nationals, sectionals and I just studied not only the just way they moved and interacted with each other, but also the spirit that they brought to their performance. I don’t have a cheerleading background at all when it comes to being on the show, but I do have a background in hip hop and freestyles, so it’s something I’m really comfortable with. I was able to bring something to the table and also learn something at the same time.

What kind of dancing background do you have?I was in a competitive dance company when I was a teenager, so I took hip hop classes weekly and we would compete. It was something I took very seriously, and I loved it. It’s something that I never would have thought I would involve in my work as an actress. It was an interesting thing that I thought was a great opportunity.

Do you have anything in common with Marti?I love how Marti’s just kind of a free spirit. She’s not someone who’s going to follow a crowd, she’s one of those girls who’s one of a kind and she’s extremely sincere and genuine when it comes to her friends and relationships she has with people. She definitely says it like it is and I love that there’s a sense of humor to her. She doesn’t take life too seriously. She wants to have a good time, but at the same time she knows what she wants out of life and she’s going to go for it.

I think that her sense of humor is very similar to mine. She’s sarcastic and I tend to have that tone with my best friend. I actually have a best friend Dan in real life, so it was funny that Marti has a best friend Dan. I think also the fact that she’s so passionate is something that I can relate to because she’s a person that really works hard for what she wants in life and I feel like I’ve always had that drive since I was young.

Had you and Ashley Tisdale met before?I’ve actually known her since I was 11 and she was like 15. We went to acting class together and always had a great time hanging out and seeing each other at events and parties, but we would never make plans to hang out one on one. We were always so busy. When I was leaving Disney, she was coming in so the timing was weird. We always enjoyed each others company when we saw each other. It was perfect to be on the show together because the chemistry was already there. Now we hang out outside of set and on site. It’s a great set, we all get along really well as a cast.

What’s to come from the rest of the season of Hellcats?I’m looking forward to Marti’s journey continuing to grow. We’re going to see a lot of ups and downs when it comes to her relationships and when it comes to the squad and her relationships with her mom. Also, her relationship with Savannah, there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs and a lot of great moment and bad moments. You’ll see that relationship go through a roller coaster ride. Marti’s going to become a lot stronger when in comes to her abilities on the squad. You really see her progress not only as a dancer but as a cheerleader, and a person.

Tell us about Easy A. I’m so excited about this movie. It’s kind of like a female Superbad, it reminds me of that same theme. That’s a really special project to me because I fought so hard to get that role and because it was such a crazy kind of out-there foul mouthed character, a lot of people were surprised that I would want that role. But I found that there was this quirkiness to Rhiannon and Olive’s relationship that I just fell in love with. I think the movie is really funny and fresh and I think a lot of people have experienced rumors in one way or another and this puts a fun twist on it, and the fact that at the end of the day you really need to be true to yourself and its better to not exaggerate things that you’ve done with certain people because it ends up biting you in the ass.